2012: The (other) year Bradley Manning spent incarcerated

Bradley Manning was formerly charged with ‘aiding the enemy’ and 21 other counts in Wikileaks case. During his hearing in February, he declined to enter a plea ahead of the trial, which is set to start next year.

2012: The year Invisible Children released Kony 2012

NGO Invisible Children released its short film ‘Kony 2012′ last March to spread the word about its campaign against indicted war criminal Joseph Kony. While he still has to be arrested, the video went viral, scoring over 95 million views on YouTube and over 18.3 million plays on Vimeo. [See TNW’s post on the 10 best memes of 2012.]

2012: The year the Fair Labor Association audited Foxconn working conditions

After repeated negative reports on working conditions, Apple asked the non-profit Fair Labor Association to perform audits in the manufacturer’s plants in China. Although it later delivered a mostly complimentary report about Apple’s progress in fixing existing issues at Foxconn, a new controversy emerged when it was revealed that Foxconn factories enlist underage workers as ‘interns’ to meet demand. [See our post Apple’s 2012 in Review.]

2012: The year of Facebook’s IPO

On the heels of acquiring Instagram, Facebook made its long-anticipated debut at the NASDAQ stock exchange. While this was the largest-ever IPO for an Internet company, it has been surrounded with controversy and lawsuits.

2012: The year we missed (then finally got) Google Maps on iOS

When Apple first demonstrated its new map application to featured on iOS 6 at WWDC earlier this year, few were those who would have been to predict how badly it would be mocked and criticized once it replaced Google Maps on the brand’s devices. There’s no doubt about it, Apple still has a lot to envy to Google in that respect, but the end of the year also brought good news, as Google Maps finally found their way back to iOS – as a standalone app.

2012: The year we discovered Google Glass (and the Nexus 7)

Google Glass may not be available yet, but the futuristic product wowed anyone who was following Google I/O – either from the audience or online. As you may remember, Google used its annual developer conference last June as an opportunity to organize a giant live stunt, that culminated in skydivers landing on the roof of San Francisco’s Moscone center. During the event, the company also unveiled the Nexus 7 tablet, which became available for pre-order through Google Play on the same day. [See TNW’s post Google’s year in review.]

2012: The year a Higgs boson was almost certainly discovered

“Scientists at CERN have announced that they’re 99.99% sure that they’ve found a new sub-atomic particle, and that it is likely to be the elusive Higgs boson – often referred to as the “God Particle,” TNW’s Martin Bryant wrote last July. The title of his post? ‘Higgs boson in plain English, and why it’s so important‘ – a must-read if you want to understand what it’s all about.

2012: The year Ecuador granted political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

The net is closing on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after being granted political asylum by the Latin American country whilst facing extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual assault.

2012: The year Amazon’s Jeff Bezos was named Businessperson of The Year by Fortune Magazine

Jeff Bezos introduced the fifth generation of Kindle devices during Amazon’s press conference last September. Earlier this year, Amazon’s CEO was named businessperson of the year by Fortune. As we reported, things weren’t always as easy: speaking to US talk-show host Charlie Rose, Bezos recalled that he had to attend 60 investor meetings to raise the $1 million of funding he needed to get Amazon started.

2012: The year Apple launched the iPhone 5

In the picture below, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple senior vice president of Industrial Design Jonathan Ive and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters look on as an attendee tests the new iPhone 5 during an Apple special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on September 12, 2012 in San Francisco.

2012: The year bullied teen Amanda Todd committed suicide

Canadian teenager Amanda Todd committed suicide last October, five weeks after posting a YouTube video about the bullying she endured. The video has since gone viral and Todd’s story has made international headlines. According to Google Zeitgeist report, her name was one of the top ten trending search terms this year.

2012: The year Disney bought Star Wars studio Lucasfilm

Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stock last October, and announced that it plans to release a Star Wars film every one to three years from 2015 on, starting with Episode 7. Disney also took ownership of Lucasfilm’s technologies, as well as its other franchises like Indiana Jones.

2012: The year the BBC could have done without

BBC Director General George Entwistle resigned last November following a report on flagship current affairs show Newsnight, which falsely accused former British politician Lord McAlpine of child abuse (without directly naming him). Entwistle will be replaced by former director of news Tony Hall, described by his peers as a “digital pioneer.” The investigation into BBC’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against broadcaster Jimmy Savile spanning several decades is still ongoing.

2012: The year McAfee became a fugitive

TNW’s Alex Wilhelm described the tale of John McAfee as “one of technology’s more bizarre moments of the year.” The US internet security pioneer is now back in the US after his attempt to find asylum in Guatemala failed. He is wanted for questioning in Belize over the murder of his neighbor. He has been using the Internet to defend himself from these suspicions.